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Monday, July 27, 2015

Vatican City, 26 July 2015 (VIS) – At
midday today Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the
Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful
gathered in St. Peter's Square. He commented on the day's Gospel
passage, which narrates “the great sign of the multiplication of
the loaves”, when Jesus finds Himself on the shores of the Sea of
Galilee surrounded by the multitude, drawn by the “signs He was
performing on the sick”.

Francis remarked that God's merciful
power acts in Christ, curing every malady of the body and the spirit.
But He is not merely a healer, He is also a teacher; He teaches from
the “cathedra” represented by the mount and tests His disciples,
asking them how they can give food to all the people present. The
apostle Philip makes a rapid calculation, confirming that by
organising a collection they could raise at most two hundred denari
to buy bread, which would not be sufficient to feed five thousand
people.

“The disciples reason in 'market'
terms, but Jesus substitutes the logic of buying with the logic of
giving”, explained the Pope. “And at this point Andrew, the
brother of Simon Peter, presents a boy who offers all he has: five
loaves and two fishes, which are certainly not enough for so many
people, Andrew says”. But this was exactly what Jesus was
expecting, and so He tells the disciples to ask the people to be
seated, takes the loaves and fishes, blesses them, gives thanks to
the Father and distributes them.

“These gestures anticipate those of
the Last Supper, which gives Jesus' bread its truest meaning. God's
bread is Jesus Himself. Making Communion with Him, we receive His
life in us and become children of the heavenly Father and brothers
among ourselves. In this communion we encounter Jesus, truly alive
and risen! Participating in the Eucharist means entering into Jesus'
logic, the logic of gratuity, of sharing. And poor though we may be,
we can all give something. 'Making Communion' means drawing from
Christ the grace that makes us capable of sharing what we are and
what we have with others”.

The crowd is astonished by the miracle
of the multiplication of the loaves, “but the gift that Jesus
offers is the fullness of life for famished mankind. Jesus satisfies
not only material hunger, but also the most profound hunger for the
meaning of life: our hunger for God. Faced with suffering,
loneliness, poverty and the difficulties of so many people, what can
we do? Complaining resolves nothing, but we can offer what little we
have, like the boy in the Gospel. We all surely have a little time,
some kind of talent, some kind of expertise to offer. Who among us
does not have their 'five loaves and two fishes'? We all have it! If
we are willing to place it in the Lord’s hands, it would be enough
to bring to the world a little more love, peace, justice and above
all, joy. How much we are in need of joy in the world! God is capable
of multiplying our little gestures of solidarity and letting us
participate in His gift”.